Persepolis: Tomb of Artaxerxes II

The tomb of Artaxerxes II Mnemon

Persepolis
(Old Persian Pārsa, modern Takht-e
Jamshid): Greek name of one of the capitals of the ancient
Achaemenid empire, founded by the great king Darius (522-486 BCE).
There were several satellite sites, like Naqš-i
Rustam and Takht-e
Rostam.

However, we can not be completely certain about
the identification. The fact that all tombs look the same (they are all
copies of the tomb of Darius the Great) is not a great help either. The
two tombs at Persepolis were probably indeed the resting places of the
second and third Artaxerxes, but which one is Mnemon's and which one belongs
to Ochus, is unclear. The tomb on this picture, usually attributed to Artaxerxes
II, may in fact be that of his successor.

As is customary, the relief on the upper part of the tomb (#28 on the Vandenberghe List) shows the king sacrificing to the eternal,
sacred fire and the supreme god Ahuramazda.
He is standing on a platform that is carried by people that represent the subject
nations. It is an exact copy of the upper tier of the tomb of Darius the
Great at Naqš-i Rustam. It even contains the inscriptions (A2Pa) that
had been left out by the designers of the other tombs.

The upper register

The lower part contains the entrance to the tomb itself - there is a
sarcophagus - and some minor figures, which resemble those on the tomb of Artaxerxes III Ochus.